A Stray Chat (Marichat Fluff)
by atomjenkins
Summary: In the midst of a storm, Marinette finds a stray Chat Noir on her roof, in need of some comfort. Marichat fluff. One-shot. im marichat trash


Marinette sat awake in bed, listening to the sounds of the storm outside. Rain had been falling all day, and now it lashed ferociously against the windows of her room, while lightning crashed around outside and thunder rumbled, like the guttural growl of some enormous beast in the skies of Paris. A flash of lightning illuminated Marinette's room with white light, and for a moment she caught sight of a figure, shining in the distance, up on one of the rooftops, before darkness fell again, and the night became still for a moment. Marinette drew her blankets tighter around her, shivering. She wasn't overly fond of thunderstorms, and this was a particularly bad one, and the whistling wind creating a chill in the air wasn't exactly helping her get to sleep. Lying back fully, she pressed the sides of her soft pillows into her ears, hoping to block out some of the noise.

Another flash of lightning lit up the room, before it was plunged back into blackness, and a grumble of thunder followed shortly after. Marinette groaned and clamped her eyes shut, trying to force herself to relax. Breathing deeply, she concentrated on the steady, muffled noise of the rain, and huddled deeper into her blankets. _I hope the lightning doesn't hit the Wi-Fi aerial, that'd be bad._ She thought to herself. _I have work to do tomorrow...Tikki might think I'm procrastinating but I need to do research online...plus if any news alerts come up I'll need to know as soon as possible if Hawkmoth akumatizes another victim...gosh, I think nearly everyone in our class has been akumatized now...Alya, Nino, Rose, Juleka, Kim...everyone except me...and Adrien. Oh gosh, what if he got akumatized and I have to fight him? What if–_

She stopped herself, and buried her head in her pillow. _No, that's crazy. I know his father can be distant sometimes but Adrien probably has the most amazing life! He's a gorgeous model, he's so talented, everybody loves him...Hawkmoth would never akumatize him...and even if he did, Chat Noir and I would–_

A sudden loud thud that sounded as though it was right above her head startled her and she toppled out of bed. Blind in the darkness, she scrambled to her feet and scrabbled around for her phone, seizing it and lighting up the room with the glow of her screen. She stood, clasping a blanket tightly to her, listening intently. The rain continued to thud relentlessly against the windows. There was a low growl of thunder somewhere in the distance. And then...

 _ **Knock, knock, knock.**_

Marinette tensed. The sound was coming from her roof. But lightning didn't knock, at least not in her experience. Perhaps the aerial had been struck and was being blown about in the wind? Or...that figure...?

She hitched her blanket up over her shoulders and drew it around herself. Ladybug didn't wear a cape, but she couldn't help but feel a little braver with the warm weight of the blanket over her. And there the noise was again, faster and louder, _**knock knock knock knock**_ , then the sound of scratching against the wood of the door. Marinette held her breath, crept over to the ladder and pulled the chord to open the door to the roof. With a creak it swung open slightly, letting cool air spill into the room. A moment later, a pair of bright green eyes met Marinette's gaze, and she breathed a heavy sigh of relief and surprise.

" _Chat Noir?!_ " She exclaimed, before covering her mouth. She hadn't meant to say that quite so loudly, she could do without her parents or Kwami waking up right now. She gingerly lowered her hand from her mouth. "I mean…Chat Noir?" She repeated, whispering this time.

Chat Noir grinned at her, exposing slightly pointed pearly white teeth which gleamed in the pale moonlight. "The very same. Marinette, right? Do you mind if I come in? S'kinda wet out, and cats don't do so well in this weather." Before she could respond he had jumped down from the roof and landed on all fours on the floor, the door closing shut with a bump behind him. Marinette jumped back slightly as he landed with a gentle thud on the floor of her bedroom, before he flicked his head back up at her, several water droplets flying from his blonde hair and directly into Marinette's face. She scrunched up her nose in disapproval.

"Oh, ah…sorry about that, Princess." Chat Noir said, though he couldn't help giving a small, cheeky smile at her expression. He padded over to her and reached up to her nose, gently wiping away the raindrops from her cheeks. Almost as if triggered by his touch, her cheeks flushed pink.

"Okay, towel, you, dry, now." She said insistently, catching hold of his wrist and playfully pushing it back into his chest, cheeks still pink. He shrugged, conceding, and hopped onto Marinette's swivel chair while she went to fetch a towel from the bathroom across the landing. He spun himself round for a couple of moments, before focusing on the various posters pinned up on the walls. Surprisingly, most of them were of him – as Adrien, anyway – and a few were of Marinette and various other people from their class, mostly Alya, some with Mylene, Juleka and Rose, then he spotted one of the whole class, including him. He could feel himself shivering from the damp and cold but looking at the photo made him feel warm inside, gazing at himself standing amongst other normal people, people who he felt he could call his friends – he'd never had a photo like this of himself before, one with other people, where he didn't need to strike a pose and put on a face for the camera, and certainly not a photo he would see pasted across the whole of Paris on buses, billboards and goodness knows what else. He did wonder why Marinette had so many of his modelling shots though – perhaps she had a growing interest in photography?

 _Hmm._ Maybe he should try to bring it up to her at school? His eyes drifted down to his Miraculous, which he twisted around his finger absentmindedly as he sat there, deep in thought. _I'd maybe have to wait a few days before I asked her, just so she didn't get suspicious…how would I bring that up in conversation anyway? Why does it even matter? Chloe has lots of pictures of me too, I don't make a big deal out of tha–_

His vision suddenly went dark as Marinette threw a towel at his head. "Dry yourself off, Kitty, then you can explain what on earth you were doing out in a storm like this." He heard her say, and a second later the click of her bedside light.

"Doing a nightly patrol, Princess, what else?" He said, ruffling his hair with the towel before drying the rest of himself off. He heard Marinette giggle slightly, presumably at his exceptionally frizzy hair, which he quickly tried to pat back down into place, but he could not bring himself to meet her eyes.

"Surely those can wait until a time when it isn't pouring down with rain. You must be freezing." She said, frowning slightly. "Or you could have asked Ladybug to help you. I'm sure she would have been more than willing."

Chat Noir hung the towel around his neck like a scarf. Marinette was immediately reminded of how Adrien had worn the scarf she had gifted him for his birthday. The cat boy twisted and knotted the ends around his fingers, fidgeting, still not meeting Marinette's gaze. "I suppose. But I was awake anyway, no need to bother My Lady." A devilish grin returned to his face, his eyes alight with mischief. With a flourish he twirled the towel around in his hands and swept it up into a lopsided towel turban and struck a pose, sticking his tongue out at Marinette. "But there's always a need to bother you, Princess."

Marinette raised an eyebrow, struggling not to laugh at his bizarre display. "Yes, I heard you thumping onto the roof, that sounded rough. I thought cats always landed on their feet?" She said, smirking, but Chat Noir did not smile back, only shrugged, looking distant. The towel unravelled from his head and landed back on his lap. He made no attempt to move. Marinette frowned. "Hey, are you alright?"

He shrugged again. "Oh y'know, same old same old. I'm okay, just a little tired." He said, and as if to prove his point, he yawned, stretching his arms out above his head in the process. "Nothing to worry about, Mari."

She narrowed her eyes, and looked at him a little more closely, now she could actually see him properly, even with just her bedside lamp providing a small glow in the dark room. He looked a little less bedraggled than when he had entered – no longer dripping wet, hair in its more usual style of unkempt rather than overly messy – and yet looking closer, his skin seemed slightly paler than normal, and there were dark circles underlining his emerald eyes. Upon even closer inspection, she saw that on his face were some small scuffs and bruises, barely noticeable in the darkness, but she knew his face well, and these were fresh. "Oh gosh, Chat, how did you get those cuts on your face? Do they hurt?" She cried, feeling panic rise in her voice. She began fumbling around in her desk drawers for any form of first aid – the cuts didn't look deep or serious, but she had to do something; anything she could, she hated to see her partner looking so beaten and weary, especially when he was normally so upbeat and energetic.

She dug out some plasters and began fussing over him, but he waved his hand at her dismissively. "It's really fine, Princess, I'm tougher than I look. Sometimes you just don't stick the landing, and, well…" He curled his hand into a fist and pounded it against the palm of his other hand, then shrugged again. "No big deal."

Marinette stared at him in disbelief. How tired was this boy that he couldn't even be catlike anymore? He was normally insanely acrobatic, performing flashy feats and tricks in the air that even she didn't dare to try. "'You just don't _stick the landing_ '? Okay, no excuses, you're sleeping here tonight, you need rest and you need it _now_." She saw him open his mouth to protest. "Um, no. Shush." She said, placing a finger on his lips. "How are you going to capture akumas if you can barely stay awake, Chat? Believe me, I can think of several objections to having you in my bed, but this is for the good of Paris." She said, wiping his face down and placing a couple of plasters over the worst of the cuts. Scooping up the blankets and duvets she had knocked to the floor earlier, she turned back to him and jabbed a thumb in the direction of the bed. "C'mon, you. Bed. Now."

Chat narrowed his eyes at her, before moodily traipsing across the room, slouched over, his tail dragging along the floor behind him. He shot her one last glance of contempt before laying down on her mattress. He had to admit it felt so soft under his aching body it was all he could do not to curl up and fall asleep right then and there. But he couldn't. He wouldn't let himself. He lay there, quivering from cold, stiff as a board, green eyes staring up at the ceiling.

Marinette placed the duvet on top of him, then tucked several blankets around him. He remained completely motionless, only blinking a couple of times before resuming his staring at nothing. Marinette sighed. "You know, you do have to close your eyes at some point, Chat."

He shook his head violently, his blonde locks fanning out over the pillows. "N-no. Don't want to."

Marinette sat herself down on the edge of the bed. "And why is that?"

He said nothing, only dropping his gaze from the ceiling to look at where his feet poked out the edge of the duvet.

Marinette paused for a moment, watching him in silence, before she swung her legs up so she was lying beside him. Carefully, she slipped her hand underneath his neck and reached up to stroke his hair. His golden locks slipped through her fingers like silk, and it was amazingly soft and smooth to touch. She gently caressed his hair, and she felt him relax beside her, his rigidity dissipating. "Chat…" She said gently, twirling a lock of his hair round her fingers. "…what you said, about already being awake…is that because of the storm? Or something else?"

"S-something else." He mumbled nervously.

Gently, she leant her head down so that her cheek rested on the top of his head, his hair far softer than any pillow. "Is something the matter?"

He was quiet for a few moments, the only sound in the room his gentle rhythmic breathing, and the patter of the rain outside. "I've just…not really been sleeping well lately." He eventually said. "I've…been having…lots of nightmares." _Thank goodness she doesn't know who I really am. This is so stupid, as if I could ever live this down at school._

"Oh, chaton, I'm sorry." Marinette said, pulling him a little closer to her in a hug. She could feel him trembling – whether it was from the cold or fright, she didn't know – so she hugged him closer, reaching her other arm over the top of him protectively. "It's alright, I'm here." She said quietly, breathing in the scent of his hair. "Do you want to talk about them? These nightmares?"

Chat _did_ want to, so badly – he wanted to share this fear with someone, he had kept this bottled up for so long, he hadn't even shared it with Plagg for fear of being laughed at. Ever since he had discovered that mysterious book in his father's safe, he had been plagued by nightmares in which his father revealed himself to be the villainous Hawkmoth. Of course that couldn't be true – his father had been akumatized, so he couldn't be Hawkmoth as well – but no matter how hard he tried, Adrien couldn't shake this feeling, these deep dark thoughts that there was some truth to this theory. In the day he would deny it vehemently, but at night, his doubts resurfaced in the form of these terrifying dreams, of Hawkmoth's laugh, of his father leaving just like his mother and Adrien being all alone in his big, empty house. But he couldn't tell anyone, he had to keep his identity a secret. So he just cuddled closer to Marinette. "I…I can't talk about it." He grimaced, burying his head into her chest. "I'm sorry, I wish I could but I can't. I just can't. I _can't_." He repeated, reaching his arms out for her, her warmth, her softness, her comfort, her safety. He felt her shift and move closer to him.

"Sshh, sshh, it's alright, it's okay. It'll be alright, I promise." She tightened her grip on him protectively. "You won't have nightmares while I'm here, Kitty, I promise." She lowered herself down on the bed, so that their eyes were level, and the tips of their noses brushed against each other. Chat's large moss-coloured eyes beamed back at her, looking watery with tears that he was clearly struggling to hold back. She smiled gently at him. "Do you want me to stay here with you while you try and get some rest, chaton?" The green eyes blinked back tears and he nodded, still quivering. Marinette squeezed him in a quick hug. "C'mon, let's get you comfy."

She snuggled down under the covers with him, and he gently lay his head on her chest, wrapping one arm around her back and resting the other on her shoulder, clinging to her. She again reached around to cuddle him close with one hand and caress his hair with the other, he seemed to enjoy that. As she began slowly stroking behind his cat ears, she asked; "How's this? Are you cosy?"

There was a soft mumble of agreement in response. "Mm…it's _purr_ fect, thank you, Princess."

She gave a soft chuckle and cuddled him close.

He drew in a sudden sharp breath. "Mari…please don't…please don't go away..." He felt so idiotic saying it, he felt pathetic, like a lost little kitten, but something about her words had resonated with him. It was true – how could he save Paris on a near-daily basis if he was so tired he could barely walk? What if Ladybug got in trouble and needed saving? True, it was normally _him_ that needed saving, but…his mind began racing with possibilities. "Nnhrr." He said, tensing up and tightening his grip on Marinette. He felt so scared and helpless…what good was he to Ladybug in this state?

He heard Marinette whisper directly into his ear, her breath sending shivers down his spine. "Sshhhhhh, don't worry. You're safe, I'm not going anywhere, I promise. I'm here. I'll always be here for you, Chat."

"Mm…thank you…Marinette…" he said, drowsily, his eyes beginning to slip shut. In that moment she felt like more than just his classmate, she was a friend, she was a safe, calm presence in his world.

Marinette ruffled his hair. "You're welcome, Chat. Sleep well."

"Mmhmm…" He said, nuzzling up close to her, burying his head against her neck and breathing deeply in her scent of sweet sugary treats and baked goods. Her breathing was calm, even, and the small scratches behind his ears as she stroked his hair were heavenly. He sighed sleepily and closed his eyes fully, sinking into her warmth, beginning to lose himself to his tiredness. This was bliss – she felt so warm and soft and strong and _safe_ , nothing could hurt him while she was here, he could believe that nothing was wrong, he didn't need to worry about anything – not his father, not Hawkmoth, not akumas, not his secret identity, _nothing_ – he could just be safe and happy here, in this moment. He curled up against her, feeling himself beginning to drift away into unconsciousness as he listened to the steady beat of her heart, felt her gently massaging his hair, massaging him to sleep…but this moment was so perfect and comfortable, he didn't want to leave, he just wanted to be here, in this nest of blankets, with this girl, this Princess, _his_ Princess…

Marinette looked down at Chat, taking care not to disturb him. The boy was fast asleep; his features had softened with slumber, his breathing was slow and steady, and his shivering was subsiding. He lay quietly, only occasionally letting a little drowsy snuffling noise escape from his lips. Marinette pressed herself against his sleeping form, as he steadily relaxed more and more, the warmth of his weight increasing as he slipped into a deeper and deeper sleep. Outside, there was another rumble of thunder – it sounded much further away than before, but Chat's cat ears still twitched with recognition and he furrowed his brow slightly in his sleep, shifting himself around on Marinette's chest, disturbed. Marinette traced her fingers lightly down his spine before beginning to rub small circles along his back, working her way back up to gently stroking his hair. "Mm." Chat let out a sleepy murmur, before wrapping his arms more tightly around Marinette and tangling his legs up with hers. "Mm…?" he mumbled, half-yawning, curling up closer to her. He nuzzled his head against her, his soft hair tickling her neck and chin.

Marinette reached down with her free hand and tucked him more snugly into the blankets, beginning to hum as she did so; a lullaby her parents had used to sing to her when she was young. She wondered if Chat Noir, in his civilian life, had anyone like that, someone to hold him like this and soothe and sing him to sleep when he needed it. Then she smiled, leaning down to rest her head against his as she felt him begin to purr softly as he slept, feeling the vibrations against her chest as he nuzzled closer to her and sighed contentedly.

She was happy to be that person.


End file.
